Relief Society celebrated their 171^st birthday on Tuesday night the 26th.  “Sweet is the Work” was the birthday theme and sweet it was! There was deliciousness all over the place from the cookies and brownies to the surplus of pregnant women and babies. 

There were also service projects going on.  Blankets and Hats were being made. The Hats serve as a service project for Girls Camp.  The hats will be sent to a local hospital to keep the babies nice and warm.  We are so thankful for those that were able to attend and those who were absent were missed. The date for the next Relief Society event will be posted.

This Saturday and Sunday is General Conference and in preparation for Conference I found a link that the Church provides on their website.  https://www.lds.org/general-conference/prepare-for?lang=eng This page has a couple of really good talks that go over how to prepare for conference, the blessings of General Conference, and how General Conference addresses individual circumstances.  There is also a great link to keep the little ones quiet and busy. 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/children?lang=eng  

The following lesson (April 14^th) will be from Teaching of the Presidents of the Church: Lorenzo Snow and the lesson is in Chapter 7: Faithfulness in times of trial: “From the shadows into the glorious sunshine” 

Also the Doctrine and Covenants class will be in Lesson 15: “Seek ye Earnestly the Best Gifts” which goes over D&C 46, Articles of Faith 1:7, 1 Corinthians 12-13, Moroni 10:8-18 and Our Heritage pages 42-43, 47-48, and 63.

For the month of April our “Sister Spotlight” is Sister Melissa Nelms.  We asked Sister Nelms a little bit about herself and this is what she said:

When is your Birthday? October 10, 1984 (I have 18 more months to be in my 20's... gulp!)

Where are you from? Originally, I am from Murfreesboro, TN, but I went to BYU-Hawaii and worked for the university after graduation, so I really consider my favorite home Hawaii. We came to Tallahassee almost 3 years ago. 

Where did you meet your spouse? In the Spring of 2008, I left my job in Hawaii and returned to Tennessee. I was not in the mood to date because I thought I was only going to be home long enough to save some money to leave again and I had just ended a long relationship. I was active in the Singles program, but mostly because I was bored and needed some friends! I went to a fireside on night and there were three girls and two guys in the car. One of the girls was going on and on and on about how she was "so ugly and no one would ever want to marry her..." Sick of her fishing for compliments game, I abruptly agreed with her instead of showering her with self esteem. I told her that unless she felt good about herself, no one would be able to see anything good about her and she was probably going to be alone as long as she was so self loathing. Jason, who had not said a word for the entire car trip was shocked to hear someone be so blunt. He turned his face away from the window and introduced himself to me. We went on our first date a week or two later and got married four months later. As much as we were both adamantly opposed to the idea of dating, the YSA program worked for us. If it can work for us, I think it can work for anyone! 

Tell us about your family. I have a husband, 20 month old daughter, live in grandma and a dog. Jason and I have been married a little over four years and we absolutely adore being parents to our accident prone Adaline. My mom, Nadine, lives with us to help with childcare and because she is just outright cool. Our dog Haddie is a terrible dog, but she means well. I have three siblings, none of which are active in the church, but are all wonderful people all the same. My father passed away seven years ago, but was a good man. I have always been pretty lucky in family life. Always surrounded by good people. 

What is your favorite Hymn? This is hard because I love music. It has always been very healing and powerful to me, despite my extreme lack of talent in the music field [read: I can't carry a tune in a bucket]. I have always loved Be Still My Soul. There is something about it that is so peaceful and powerful to a heart like mine that races with thoughts at times. 

What is your favorite scripture? I have always loved Doctrine and Covenants 68:6.

How do you like to spend your time? I love being outside with my family. We swim, walk, play and eat outside as often as we can. I also enjoy reading, sewing, and cooking (not just the regular dinner stuff, but getting creative...). But, anyone with kids knows that those last three hobbies get dusty because there is very little time. I also enjoy writing extensively and am working on my first book.

If you were stuck on an island what meal and what dessert would you be wasting precious water drooling over? Since I have been stuck on an island, I can say I love BBQ Pork. When I was in Hawaii, I missed Tennessee style BBQ pork, and now that I haven't been back to the islands in a few years, I miss Kalua Pork. Chocolate Haupia Pie is my ultimate to die for dessert.